The Fault in Our Cells
by SPNxBookworm
Summary: Pre-series. AU. Sam is diagnosed with cancer. John disappears after his diagnosis leaving Dean to pick up the pieces and reassure his little brother. Luckily, Bobby is on hand to once again clean up John's mess. Lots of hurt!Sam and overprotective!worried!Dean :) Requested by LoveIsAllYouNeed96.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm back with another chapter fic, just like I'd said! :D :) This one was a request by LoveIsAllYouNeed96. Thanks for the request. I loved the idea. Also, unlike my other stories where I portray John as a caring father, in this one it will not come to that. John is kind of the opposite in this one as the story kind of needs it. You'll understand later on. Hope you all like this! :D :)**

**Sam is 16 and Dean is 20. **

**ENJOY! **

* * *

A gleaming, sleek, black Impala stood outside room number 20 of the Miracles Motel. Behind this room number 20 was a decent sized grassy area. Kind of like a place where you could read or just lie down and look at the sky. But for the Winchester's this was a training arena.

John sat on a foldable chair in the veranda near the back door of their room and watched his sons sparring session intently. Sam and Dean were dripping with sweat with their shirts and knee length shorts clinging to their skin. Sam ran a hand across his forehead hastily shoving his bangs out of the way. Dean smirked as he eyed his baby brother who was breathing heavily after being decked thrice by Dean in the last 50 minutes. Both resumed a defensive stance and circled each other, anticipating the next move.

After a lot of dodging and kicking and wrestling in each other's grip for a few minutes, Sam huffed in success as Dean ended up on the ground.

"See? I said I'd deck you," said Sam. Dean smirked up at his brother and got to his feet wiping off the mud from the back of his shorts.

"That was great. I didn't see that coming," Dean agreed. He truly hadn't seen it coming. True, he did let Sam win sometimes just to boost the kid's morale but Sam always had surprises up his sleeves for Dean which truly amazed him.

A loud cough brought both the boys attention to their father who was now leaning against a support pillar and motioning them to come to him. Both brothers obediently walked over to their dad.

"That was good, but you still need more practice Sam. Good job Dean, keep it up," John said. "Get inside and clean up. Take a break for an hour or so and then we'll move onto something else," John ordered.

"Yes sir," said Sam and Dean. It had become a habit now. They said 'sir' more than 'dad' nowadays. John walked back into the motel, picked up the keys to his jeep and left through the front door. Only after hearing him drive off did Sam and Dean let out a breath of relief.

Sam walked ahead into their room, his shoulders slumped slightly while Dean followed closely behind.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked. He could clearly see by Sam's body language that Sam was depressed.

Sam sat down on his bed and sighed. "It's not fair. I mean, I don't blame you but still. I try so hard. I do everything he tells me and yet, all I get is 'you need to work harder' or 'be like Dean' and it sucks. Trust me man, I don't blame you one bit but I'd like it if he appreciated my efforts once in a while," Sam explained.

Dean finally understood. Sam and John were always at each other's throats. Sam tried not to get on his bad side but sometimes it was inevitable and a shouting match would ensue which would have definitely turned to blows if Dean wouldn't step in each time and break them up.

"He does appreciate it Sammy. You're doing a great job. Better than me in fact. I wasn't even near as good as you when I was your age," Dean said, trying to comfort his brother.

Sam snorted. "Stop lying dude. I've seen your training sessions. You were _way _better than me," he said.

"N-No...it's...never mind," said Dean knowing that pushing the argument any further wasn't going to help matters. "My point is, he does know you're working hard. He just doesn't know how to express it I guess."

Sam scowled as he turned to Dean who was sitting on one of the wooden chairs in the room. "Why do you always take his side? He may have been a dad to you when you were a kid, but all I can see is his ex-marine attitude. He's always ordering us around. We can't even have our own opinion around him. He's not a General or something Dean. He's our Dad. The least bit he can do is act like one," Sam snapped.

"Sam – " Dean started to say but was cut off by Sam.

"Let it go man. You won't get it," Sam said curtly. He picked up his towel and clothes and entered the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

It had been 30 minutes and Sam still hadn't emerged from the bathroom. The sound of the shower had been cut off 10 minutes ago. Dean was pacing the room in slight worry as Sam never took more that 2 to 5 minutes to get dressed and come out of the bathroom. He hesitated to knock as he knew that Sam would still have the fight they just had on his mind.

Another 5 minutes passed...then 10...

"That's it," Dean muttered as he walked over to the bathroom. To hell with it. Sam could rant at him all he wanted. Dean lifted a hand to knock on the door when he heard moans from inside which he hadn't heard before. Screw with the knocking. Dean shamelessly started banging on the bathroom door after finding out it was locked from the inside.

"SAM! Open the door!" Dean yelled.

"I-I'm f-fine," came the weak reply. And then came the sound of retching. Dean cursed himself. How did he not hear this before?

"Sam, I swear if you do not open this goddamn door, I'll kick it down and come in anyway," threatened the big brother. He waited for a few seconds and then took a few steps back to summon up the strength needed to knock down the door. Before he could lift his leg however, he heard a faint click that indicated the unlocking. Wasting no more time, he hurried over and opened the door.

Sam sat with his head bowed over the toilet seat holding his stomach. Dean's worry intensified ten – fold.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked gently as he sat down next to Sam. He lifted Sam's head and flinched slightly seeing the bloodshot eyes and tired, sweating face.

"I-I don't know. I got out, got d-dressed and then felt nauseous," Sam explained in a hoarse voice.

"Stomach bug?" Dean asked, though he couldn't remember Sam eating anything bad lately.

"Maybe," Sam replied, moaning slightly in pain.

Dean immediately got up and brought back some painkillers and medicines to help get rid of the nausea. Sam gratefully took them and gulped them down with a glass of water. As much as he hated it, he let Dean help him back to bed.

"Rest. I'll tell Dad when he gets back," Dean said.

Sam immediately shook his head and then regretted it as pain sliced through it. The start of a massive headache, Sam thought. "Don't tell him. He'll only get more pissed at me," Sam argued.

"He won't. And you're in no state to train right now dude. Trust me, I'll handle it," Dean assured his baby brother.

"Fine," Sam resigned as he turned over to his side and closed his eyes. In a few mere seconds, he was snoring lightly.

Dean took a deep breath and ran a hand fondly through Sam's hair. His worry still hadn't subsided. Sam never got sick without a reason. Somehow he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

**TBC**

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**Well? Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! Anyway, here's the next chapter. I'd gotten a few questions on John and I'll say once again that he will be a little out of character in this story. You'll know more as the story progresses. Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows! I truly didn't expect such a response on just one chapter. Y'all are amazing!**

**ENJOY!**

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Dean shook his leg nervously as he sat on his bed and stared at his brother's exhausted, sleeping form. He hadn't expected such a response from his father. He idolized him and the way John had reacted to Dean's concerns about Sam had truly shocked the older brother. Sam had slept straight for 4 hours now without even a slight peep. That wasn't the only thing Dean was worried about. Since the last half hour, Sam started running a temperature and Dean had fussed until Sam had grudgingly woken long enough to swallow pills to take down the fever.

Sighing, Dean changed up the cool wash cloth again and laid it on Sam's forehead. The pills hadn't taken much effect. Maybe the traditional method would lower the fever somewhat. Pretty tired himself; Dean rubbed his face with his hand in an attempt to stay awake. No way was he dozing off when Sam was in bad shape. Having nothing to distract him, Dean's mind zeroed in on his conversation with his dad. John had turned up 20 minutes after Sam had laid down to rest.

**(FLASHBACK)**

"_Where's Sam?" John asked as he walked over to motel room; slightly surprised to find his oldest standing outside as though waiting for him. _

"_He's sleeping," Dean answered. _

"_What? Why did you let him sleep? We have more work to do," John argued. _

_Dean took a deep breath. He'd been expecting this. "Look Dad. He isn't feeling so well. He was dry retching like maybe half hour ago. His head was killing him. I thought he should – " _

"_You've been worse and yet we've trained. Wake him up," John interjected. _

_Dean couldn't believe his ears. He'd never been in a worse state than Sam. Sure, maybe he'd been running a slight fever but never a full blown episode like Sam. "No. I'm not waking him up. He needs to rest. He was barely able to walk out of the bathroom on his own dad," Dean argued. _

_John took a deep breath, not wanting to get angry at his oldest. "You coddle him too much Dean. He needs to learn to ride out this stuff on his own. Now, wake him up so we can leave. That's an order," John barked. _

_Dean stood his ground. He couldn't believe his father. "No." _

"_What?" _

"_You heard me. No," Dean shot back. _

_John's eyes narrowed at Dean in anger. "You better start showing some respect son. This is no way to talk to your father. Sort out your priorities and don't you dare disobey an order. Now go. Wake. Sam. Up," John snarled. _

_Dean laughed humorlessly. He'd had enough of his dad's bullying. He didn't understand why Sam was always thrown to the side in his father's eyes. He defiantly looked into John's eyes and said, "Respect? When have you ever showed an ounce of love or respect for your sons? When have you ever even __**acted **__like a father? All you do is order us around, no questions asked. I take your side out of sheer fear sometimes, you know that? And then I have to try and lie my out of it with Sam." _

"_Son – " _

"_NO! This time, you are going to listen. A father is supposed to be present at his son's middle school graduation, at his soccer game, at his spelling bee contest where he wins the first prize. A father is supposed to care for his kid when he's sick or hurt. A father is supposed to toss around a friggin' football with his kid on Sundays! You? You're hunting every day of the week. You're never there for Sam's ceremonies and conferences in school. Hell, the kid's never been in the same school for more than 6 months at a time because we have to move around so much! As for my priorities? Don't forget that __**you **__were the one who told me to look out for Sammy. Well? That's what I'm doing. So I have my priorities in perfect order. What about you?" _

_John stared dumbstruck at his son. He couldn't believe that Dean had disobeyed him. His oldest was standing there trying to teach him his own priorities. He felt his blood boiling in anger. Fuming, he turned around and stalked back to his car, slammed the door shut, and drove off leaving Dean still standing at the doorstep. _

**(END FLASHBACK) **

Dean's attention was brought back to the present as Sam let out a quiet groan.

"Sammy? Hey, you with me kiddo?" Dean asked, knowing that Sam would latch onto his voice and drift back to reality from dreamland. "Come on Sam. Open your eyes," he coaxed.

And just as expected, Sam latched onto the one thing that grounded him. His brother. He pulled his way out through the drowsiness and opened his eyes to find Dean's face mere inches from his.

"You gonna kiss me?" Sam asked.

"Shut up, bitch," Dean grunted as he sat on Sam's bed.

"Jerk," Sam immediately retorted as per tradition. He then felt a slicing pain through his head and winced.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, concern lacing his tone.

"AAARRGGH!," Sam cried out in pain as he clutched his head. The pain kept building up in his head till he knew no more.

Dean watched paralyzed as Sam yelled out in pain and then suddenly went limp. A second later, his body started thrashing around. Dean immediately understood what was going on. Sam was having a seizure.

"Shit," he cursed as he tried to keep Sam from falling off the bed while trying to reach for his phone. He dialed the emergency number and put the phone on speaker before setting it on the bedside table.

"Pick up, damn it," Dean hissed, panic in his features. He'd never had to deal with anything like this. "Sammy, hang on."

"_Emergency services, can I help you?" said a kind female voice._

"It's my brother. He's having a seizure. My father's out-of-town. I don't know what to do," Dean all but yelled at his phone.

"_Okay, calm down sweety. How long has it been since he started seizing?" _

Dean frantically glanced at his watch. "Um, about a minute," he answered.

"_Alright, where are you? We'll send paramedics right away." _

"Miracles Motel, room number 20."

"_Alright. The ambulance will be there in a few minutes. In the meantime, watch your brother."_

"Will do. Just, hurry please!"

The call cut off. Dean looked on helplessly as Sam continued to thrash on the bed. He knew a little bit about seizures and as bad as it sounded, it was thanks to his dad. Reading up medical conditions and preventions was something that John had been very strict on. They needed to be prepared in the worst possible situations. Jogging his memory, Dean started timing the seizures. He knew that if a seizure continued for more than 5 minutes, it was bad. He had to stop Sam from falling off the bed. He cushioned Sam's head to avoid further injury.

A minute passed...then two...

Suddenly, Sam stopped seizing and laid dangerously still. Dean immediately checked for a pulse and almost cried in relief when he felt the rapid but still beating pulse. A siren sounded outside indicating the arrival of the ambulance. Dean rushed to the door and yanked it open.

"What happened?" asked one of two the paramedics as they rushed over to Sam and started checking his vitals.

As per his training, Dean recited, "We were, um, sparring. Our dad was in the military so he trains us sometimes. Nothing happened then. He went to take a shower and didn't come out. I went in to find him hunched over the toilet bowl, dry retching. His balance was off. I gave him some painkillers and he fell asleep. This was 4 hours ago. Half hour earlier, he started running a fever and meds didn't help much. He woke up a couple of minutes ago. We even talked and then suddenly he yelled, clutching his head and started seizing. It stopped just before you guys arrived."

Both the medics, a guy and girl, nodded. "Don't worry. He'll be okay. We'll take him up to the hospital," the girl reassured. She could see that the kid had immense love for his brother. "You coming along?" she asked, somehow feeling like separating the brothers was not an option.

Dean nodded as he gravely looked at his brother. What was going on?

As if the medics could read his mind, the guy told him, "We'll know more as soon as we get to the hospital, come on. What's his name?" he asked as they laid Sam onto a stretcher and walked out the door.

"Sam. I'm Dean," he said as immediately followed them. As much as he wanted to sit in the back with the medics, the ambulance was a small one and there wasn't room. He wasn't budging though. No way was Sam going to be pulled out of his sight. The girl paramedic offered to sit up with the driver so that Dean could ride with Sam. Dean silently thanked her. She smiled indicating it was no problem.

Dean looked worriedly as his brother lay still on the stretcher. He couldn't handle this alone. He'd remembered to snag his phone off the table. He played with it in his hands, debating whether or not to call his dad.

Seeing no other option, he dialed his father and almost chucked the phone on the ground when it went to voicemail. He ran his tongue over his teeth and said, "Look, I don't know if you even care but things aren't good. Sam was seizing and we're on the way to the hospital now. I can't do this alone dad. So if you care about us, about me, you better make it."

He wiped a stray tear off his cheeks and choked back a sob. When had his life decided to turn upside down in one go? Then he perked up. There was one more person he could call. A person who cared no matter what.

He hurriedly searched the number and didn't hesitate as he jammed the call button.

He took a deep breath as he heard the familiar gruff voice at the end. "Bobby? Dean here. I need you. It's Sam."

**TBC.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter turned out longer than I'd expected so I hope it was worth the wait. I just couldn't get this chapter to stick and literally re-wrote it tons of times, hence the late update. Anyway, I hope you all like it! :D **

**A special shout out to sweetkiwi604. She is writing the most amazing fic! For all those who read my sis-fic, sweetkiwi604 has written a fic called "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Hunters" that features Sadie [my winsister (OFC)] and three other sisters from different sis-fics respectively by ispiltthemilk, Jenmm31 and sweetkiwi604 herself. All of which can be found in my favorites. Please do check it out as she did a splendid job. **

**Anyway, enjoy!**

_**Follow me on Facebook as 'Spnxbookworm' for fic updates and just to chat. :)_

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It was truly an amazing thing how two boys could capture the hearts of so many people. Sure, Sam and Dean didn't know that but a lot of people owed them their lives and truthfully, they'd do anything to meet them again. But the luckiest people of all were the boy's family. A small and maybe broken, but a fierce family.

The first time John had met Bobby, Bobby had immediately been taken into the Winchesters. He could empathize with the loss that John had sustained and readily agreed to help out in any way possible. Then came the time when John would start dropping of his sons at Sioux Falls as he'd heard of a lead on Mary's killer. That's when Bobby got to know the boys little by little and instantly knew that they were inseparable, soul mates. Having no kin of his own, he'd adopted the boys in his heart as his own.

This was the very reason that he immediately packed up his home and garage, rushed to one of his beat up vehicles and sped off towards the address of the hospital Dean had given him. Dean had explained the whole situation on the phone. Sam and Dean were all he had. If he wouldn't be there for his boys, who would? And in a way, Bobby was right.

* * *

Dean was pacing the length of the waiting room. It had been at least an hour since they'd taken Sam in. Dean hadn't gotten any news from any of the nurses or doctors yet and it was nagging at him. He'd already picked a fight with one of the ward boys and had to be subdued by at least half the staff on that floor. He just wished Bobby would get there soon.

"Dean?" said a familiar voice.

Dean immediately looked up at the entrance of the room and felt a flicker of hope flare inside of him. Bobby was here. He would make everything better.

"Bobby," he whispered as his legs suddenly gave way and he flopped onto one of the chairs. He felt the strength drain out of him. This was all getting too much for him.

Seeing Dean almost fall to the floor, Bobby immediately rushed over to the older Winchester's side and frowned at the sight. He didn't like what he saw. Dean was paler making his freckles more prominent. There were tired lines around his face indicating he hadn't eaten or slept for a while now and that certainly explained the growing dark circles under his eyes.

"When's the last time you got some rest, kid?" Bobby asked gently as he laid a hand on Dean's shoulder.

Dean hid his face in his palms as he tried to compose himself and mumbled, "A while, I guess."

"How about you go back to the motel and get some rest? I'll let you know what's wrong once I find out from the doctors," Bobby suggested despite knowing full well that it would be of no use.

And as expected, Dean immediately sat up straight and shook his head. "No. I'm not going anywhere 'till I find out what's wrong with Sam. Damn it Bobby, he was fine! We were sparring one second, fighting over Dad again the next and after that, all I know is I'm just glad he's still breathing," Dean said in a broken voice.

Bobby didn't know what to do except offer some comfort of touch so he didn't let go of Dean's shoulder. Somehow, the contact seemed to ease Dean a little and unconsciously he leaned towards it.

"Did you call your Dad?" Bobby asked.

Dean's eyes immediately flared in anger. "Yeah. Four times after I called you. I left a message all four times. He didn't pick up even once. And to be honest, I don't think he even cares anymore," Dean stated.

Bobby jaw almost fell slack as he heard Dean rant about John. The boy worshipped his father and to hear him talk crap about his own father; Bobby knew something big must have happened. On asking him, Dean explained everything about John storming off after Dean sided with Sam and refused to follow his orders.

"So he just drove off?" Bobby asked, aghast.

Dean nodded gravely.

"That idjit. I swear I'd love to lay my hands on him one day just to beat some sense into him," Bobby mumbled to himself. Despite himself, Dean snorted. He knew that Bobby always hated it when John cared about his hunts more than his kids sometimes.

"I'm right here," came a voice from the doorway.

Bobby and Dean both looked at the doorway and immediately stood up. John Winchester was standing in the doorway.

"So you finally decided to join the show huh?" Dean asked, folding his arms.

John tensed up in slight anger at the way his kid was talking to him but didn't retaliate.

"You finally decided to set your priorities straight? Or do you need more time?" Dean taunted.

"Don't talk to me like that son," John stated in his ex-marine tone.

Dean laughed humorlessly. "You think this is still about ordering me and Sammy around? My brother is sick. He is hurt and you did nothing! You didn't act like a father even once! Did you even think of calling me back?" Dean asked. He needed answers and he was going to get them once and for all.

John's jaw muscle twitched but he didn't answer. Truthfully, he'd finally gotten a decent lead on the thing that killed his wife and he'd been asking Dean and Sam to pack up specifically for that reason. After his phone had rang at least 5 times almost giving away his place in the hunt, he'd had a right mind to yell at the guy who'd done that only to receive the messages about Sam from his oldest. Honestly, he did care about his sons. But he needed to find out what tore his family apart too.

"See? I knew it. You only came as a formality. See Bobby? I friggin' trusted this man. I don't even know anymore," Dean said as his hands fell to his sides after he pointed at John.

Bobby had listened quietly all through Dean's rant as he knew the kid needed to get it off his chest.

"Why don't you see if the doc's know anything about Sam? Bobby suggested. Dean nodded and strode out of the room banging shoulders with his father.

John sighed and rubbed a hand across his face as Dean left the room. He didn't want to be like this but after that night, he couldn't think of anything else except revenge. He hadn't wanted to bring his sons into this life, but in his own mind, he'd had no choice.

"What are you doing John?" Bobby asked in a tired voice. "They are your kids. They deserve a little love and support from their goddamn father, don't they?"

"I know Bobby. But Mary..."

"I know. I lost my wife too. But you've got to let it go. Your sons need you now more than ever. We don't even know what's wrong with Sam. Dean can't handle this alone."

John shrugged. "Yes he can," he said.

"No he can't. He's barely holding it together John and I know damn well that you can see it too. I don't blame you for wanting revenge but don't let it rule your intentions too," Bobby argued.

John stayed silent and his face devoid of emotion. It took Bobby a lot of control and restraint to stop himself from punching John in the face.

Just then, Dean walked into the room with the doctor.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Myers. Rachael Myers. I'm Sam's doctor," she introduced herself.

Dean huffed in impatience. "Cut the crap woman. Just please tell me when I can see my brother," he snarled.

"Watch it Dean," Bobby warned. He then turned to the doctor. "Sorry. He's just stressed out and – "

"I know. I have a sister too and personally, I'd be all over the doctor too," she said smiling. Dean anger seemed to ebb away a little as he understood that the doctor clearly had an idea of how he felt. "Ok, about Sam."

Dean took a deep breath, just hoping it was all going to be okay.

"We ran a few scans and test and I'm afraid I have bad news. Did any of you notice the slight swelling in Sam's left knee?" Dr. Myers asked.

Dean nodded. "I thought it was because he'd fallen a couple of times while sparring," he said.

Rachael's heart broke seeing the worry and fear in Dean's eyes. How could she break this news to him without completely shattering him? She took a deep breath. "Sam...has cancer."

"What?" Dean asked in a strangled voice. No. Sam couldn't have cancer. He just couldn't.

"I'm sorry. He has cancer. Osteosarcoma to be specific. Bone cancer if you want to be frank. The swelling in Sam's knee is due to the growth of a tumor, a cancerous tumor. We believe that a part of the tumor detached from the original site and migrated to Sam's brain causing the seizure. We still have to run more tests to be completely sure of the reason for the seizure but we inspected the scans properly and he does have cancer."

Dean felt his vision blur as tears filled his eyes. He'd never lost control like this but he couldn't help it. "No. He can't have cancer. Please. Tell me he doesn't."

Rachael bit her lip as he tried to hold in the tears herself. She could sympathize with Dean's feelings. Her own sister was a survivor of cancer. Her sister was one of the reasons he became a cancer specialist and surgeon. She wanted to try and save as many people as she could. "I'm sorry Dean, but it's true," she said.

Dean ignored the tears that finally escaped and ran down his cheeks. He just couldn't believe it. He sank into a chair and just deadpanned at the wall ahead of him.

Bobby felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He knew he needed to be strong for his boys. John was just staring at the doctor like she was an alien.

"You can fix him right?" Bobby asked. Dean immediately perked up and walked over to Bobby, hastily wiping away his tears. Sammy would be fixed. He just had to be.

Rachael smiled. "Yes. We've prepared a treatment plan for him. It will require a vigorous treatment of chemotherapy but we'd like to start on that after we run a few more tests to confirm the reason for the seizure. We'll do everything in our power to make sure that Sam beats this cancer."

Dean smiled fully for the first time. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. He knew it would need a lot of faith. But if it saved Sam, then he would go with it.

"Can I see him now?" Dean asked. Rachael nodded.

"Yes. I'll take you to him myself," she said. Dean immediately followed her out of the room after silently thanking Bobby for being there and glaring at his father.

Bobby sighed as he made to follow. He wanted to see Sam with his own eyes to make sure the kid was okay. He looked at John to see him in deep thought.

"I hope you set your priorities straight John. You've already lost Mary. You better hope that you don't lose Sam either."

**TBC**

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**Well? I'm pretty nervous about this one, so please leave reviews! Also, I'm no medical expert so all the medical jargon is research from the internet ;) **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Oh my Gods! Are you guys kidding me with the reviews and alerts?! You all are amazing! Thank you so much! **

**In this chapter, John might seem a little caring than before, but trust me, I kind of needed to show it like that so that it works out in later chapters. As the summary says, John bolts after Sam gets diagnosed. That moment isn't too far. Please just go with me on this. I swear I know what I'm doing. **

**This was a fairly hard chapter to write. I hope you all like it! :)**

*_Follow me on Facebook as 'Spnxbookworm' for fic updates or just to chat :)_

* * *

John sadly looked through the glass separating himself from his sons. He stood outside Sam's room, silently gazing at his boys. Dean was vigilant in posture as he sat and stared at his baby brother. Sam was sleeping peacefully. He hadn't awoken yet and Dean dreaded the moment where he'd have to tell Sam that he had cancer.

John smiled as he saw Dean run a hand through Sam's hair. He honestly loved his boys. They were all he had left of Mary. Mary. That name, that person...one day didn't go by without John thinking about her. He knew he was being unfair to his kids. He knew he wasn't father of the year. But he'd vowed to find Mary's killer the day she had burned on that ceiling. He snapped out of his reverie as Bobby laid a hand on his shoulder and handed him a coffee.

"So, any change?" he asked.

John sighed as he ran a hand over his face. "No. He's still under," John replied.

Bobby sighed as well. He glanced through the glass and almost felt his heart break. Only a person close to the Winchesters could tell how much they were hurting inside. Dean was staring at Sam, but Bobby could clearly read the pain and slight fear on Dean's face. The older was clearly afraid of losing his brother.

Inside, Dean sat, wishing for his brother to wake up; wanting to see the hazel eyes he knew so well, look up at him. Dean always protected Sam from anything that tried to get to him. But this? This was something out of his control, and it was eating at him; cutting and carving a hole through his chest. He felt helpless. This wasn't something he could fix.

"Sammy," Dean voiced yet again. He'd been calling out his brother's name for the past hour, hoping he would wake up.

"Please buddy, I need you to wake up," Dean whispered as he laid a gentle hand on top of his brother's.

Dean immediately sat up as Sam stirred. "De'n?" he mumbled.

Dean immediately scooted closer to the bed and smiled fully for the first time since the last hour or so. "Right here Sammy. Come on, open your eyes for me," he encouraged.

Sam fought as hard as he could against the darkness that threatened to pull him under again. He knew that Dean was worried. He didn't even know what had happened. Finally, with a lot of effort, Sam's eyelids fluttered open and after a bit of work, they settled on Dean.

"Welcome back kiddo," Dean said. Sam smiled as he yawned.

"Why am I still sleepy?" he croaked. He tried to clear his throat and smirked when Dean immediately held up a glass of water with a straw.

"Drink up, then I'll explain," Dean said. Sam obediently drank and then settled back into the pillows. He now realized that he was in a hospital. He frowned.

"What am I doing in a hospital Dean?" he asked, slight panic in his voice.

"What do you remember last?" Dean asked.

Sam felt confused, but answered all the same. He scrunched up his forehead as he tried to remember. "Um, we were in the motel room and you woke me up. And then the last thing I remember is this really bad pain in my head, before I think I passed out," Sam said.

Dean nodded thoughtfully. He didn't know how to break it to Sam without worrying or scaring him. He half-glanced at the glass separating the room and the hallway and saw Bobby and John talking. He managed to catch Bobby's eye and nodded slightly. He needed help on this one, whether he liked it or not.

* * *

Bobby saw Dean signal him and then his eyes fell on Sam now awake in bed. "John, he's awake."

John immediately looked at his youngest and felt relief flood through him. He motioned for Bobby to go inside; he'd follow in a little later. He knew Dean wouldn't want him in right now and wanted to give his oldest time to clear his head.

Dean watched as Bobby came in but John stayed behind. He felt a little satisfied. He still wasn't forgiving his father for what happened.

"Hey Bobby," Sam smiled. The kid looked a little weak, but better. Bobby smiled.

"Hey Sam, how you feeling?"

"My head hurts a little, but that's it," Sam said. "Can I know what's going on? I mean, why is everyone here? I can see Dad waiting outside too."

"Sam, how's your right leg?" Dean asked, his voice almost breaking.

Sam frowned. He tried to shift it and felt pain throb in his knee. He winced. "It hurts," he admitted. Dean face turned into a grimace of pain as he lifted the sheet of his brother's leg. He pointed to the slightly swelled up knee.

"Sam, that swelling..." he started.

Sam took the pain on Dean's face as guilt for the sparring session. He immediately cut off Dean and said, "Dude, we were sparring. And I've gotten hurt tons of times. The swelling will die down soon."

Dean felt his heart shatter as he heard the innocence in Sam's voice. How could he do this? He saw his father enter and for the first time, saw his own pain reflected in his father's face. He couldn't do this. He couldn't tell Sam. He looked to Bobby and his Dad.

"Sam...You have cancer," John said.

Sam just stared at his father. He couldn't believe his ears. He then looked to his brother who wouldn't meet his eyes and then to Bobby, whose face showed sorrow and pain. He felt tears burning his eyes. His family wasn't lying. He had cancer.

"H-How?" he choked out. Dean felt the hole in his chest get larger as he heard the shock, anguish and pain in Sam's voice.

At that moment, Rachael entered the room. "Hey Sam. I'm Dr. Rachael Myers. I'm your oncologist, or in simple words, I'm the person who will help you fight the cancer," she said.

Sam's eyes lit up slightly as heard the doctor. "Wait, fight the cancer?"

She smiled and nodded. "I know this is hard for you Sam. Yes. Fight the cancer. People are always under the impression that cancer kills. Yes, it does kill, if it's caught late. There are a lot of cancer survivors out there honey. You will definitely be one of them," she encouraged.

Dean smiled as he saw the doctor lifting Sam's spirits. He got up and sat down next to Sam, throwing an arm over his shoulder.

"This doctor is a genius Sammy. I promise you, she will get rid of the cancer," Dean said. Sam smiled in spite of himself. If Dean believed in her, he would too.

Sam cleared his throat. "What kind of cancer do I have?"

Rachael walked over to Sam's bed and sat down at the far end. She'd dealt with a lot of kids with cancer over the past couple of years. She knew just how to answer their questions and by the looks of it, Sam was a smart and brave kid. She had confidence that he would survive.

"You have Osteosarcoma which means bone cancer. That swelling in your knee is because of a tumor, a cancerous tumor."

Sam sucked in a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. He didn't want to panic, but he couldn't help it.

Rachael smiled. "Don't worry. We are going through some test results. If it permits, we'll be able to do a surgery and remove the tumor," she said.

Sam smiled back. "Does it hurt? The surgery?"

"You'll be under anesthesia while we do it. And while your leg's on the mend, you'll be getting a lot of pain meds so it won't hurt much," Rachael replied.

Sam breathed out a sigh of relief. One thing was still bothering him though. "How did I end up here in the first place?"

Dean cleared his throat. He felt like he owed his brother some answers. "You had a seizure Sammy. That headache...well, you passed out for a second and then started seizing," he said.

Sam stared at his big brother, shocked.

"If I may, I know this is hard to hear but there is a possibility of a part of the tumor detaching itself from the original site and migrating to a different body part. It's called a met in medical terms. We think that maybe a met must have migrated to your brain causing the seizure. But don't worry. It's totally the last thing in our list. There are a lot of things that could have caused it and we are looking into every possibility," Rachael explained to Sam.

Sam nodded. He knew this was a serious issue. He knew this was going to be hard. But he would fight it. He was strong enough. He just needed to believe in himself.

"Now once we get the tests back, we can discuss a course of treatment," Rachael addressed Bobby and John. They both nodded.

"So, I'll be out of your hair for a while. I'll come back as soon as I know more. If you need anything, buzz me," she said, pointing to the buzzer on the hospital bed remote.

"Thank you," Sam said to Rachael.

Rachael smiled as she nodded and left the room. She couldn't stop the tears that escaped. This kid didn't deserve this. He was so sweet and humble and his eyes spoke millions. She hastily wiped away the tears and with a determined face, resumed her work. She would do everything in her power to help Sam fight this. This case had become close to her heart. She knew how Dean felt seeing as she'd been in that position once before. She back traced her steps and quietly looked through the glass at Sam. All four of the members in the room were smiling and laughing as they talked. Yes, she would do everything she could to help this kid. Everything.

* * *

**Well? I know this chapter isn't much. If you have any questions regarding this chapter, ask away! Leave reviews too. It only takes a few seconds. :) Also, the medical jargon is totally googled material as I'm not a medical expert. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this up. This was a tough chapter to write and I didn't know how much I wanted to give out. Also, contrary to my previous author's notes, I've worked out the basic story line with LoveIsAllYouNeed96. John may seem caring at times, while at other's it may seem like he doesn't care one bit. I promise I know where I'm going with this. Please trust me on this. I don't write John as an uncaring father, so John lovers, don't fret. John _might_ just be every bit as caring as I always write him ;) **

**But yes, he will disappear soon enough, the moment is not too far. Please go with me on this guys. I swear I won't disappoint any of you. **

**Also, thanks for the astounding number of reviews, favorites and follows! I'm so thrilled at so many of you like this! **

**A BIG thank you to Middle-Earthling for adding this story to her 'Hurt/Sick/Limp Sam Winchester' community here on FF. It meant the world to me when I saw it! You can find the link to the community on my profile page.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Rachael drummed her fingers absently against the marble as she waited near the reception for the nurse to bring over Sam's reports. She couldn't help thinking how close this case was to home for her. Her own sister had been a victim of cancer, an illness which still grasped people who least expected it. Cancer destroyed lives, tore apart families. Rachael knew exactly how the family felt. She smiled as she thought of Sam. The understanding that she had seen in the boy's eyes had stunned her. She was positive that Sam knew how serious his condition could get. Chemotherapy was vigorous and painful and Sam seemed well and ready to accept it.

"Dr. Myers?" enquired the nurse, trying to get Rachael's attention. It seemed that the doctor was in deep thought.

Rachael startled as the nurse called out her name. She smiled sheepishly while blushing slightly as she took the file from the nurse. "Thanks Betty. Sorry, lost in my own head again," Rachael said, smiling wryly.

"No problem at all Dr. Myers. That little angel will be just fine," said Betty, expertly guessing what was on the oncologists mind.

Rachael laughed. "You always know what's in my head. Thanks Betty. I'll let you know if I need anything else." And saying so, she departing, walking her way through the numerous hospital corridors towards her office. She sighed as she opened the door to said office after a few minutes. She entered and flopped down onto the chair behind her desk; taking a deep breath before opening Sam's file.

She went through the scans and x-rays of Sam's knee and smiled when she realized it was operable. She then took up the scans of Sam's brain and frowned at the presence of two minute mets. She'd have to go over that with the neurosurgeon. Her eye then fell on the blood reports and her heart felt heavy all of a sudden, seeing the result.

"Shit," she muttered as she gathered up all the papers, stuffing them into the file and depositing it in one of the cabinets in her office room. She ran a hand through her hair in agitation. How would she explain this to them? She cursed herself, blaming herself for not seeing the subtle symptoms over the last 2 to 3 days as she had waited for Sam's report. She knew she could be wrong, but her gut told her she wasn't.

The fatigue, the loss of appetite, nausea, headaches, the sudden high fevers and the night sweats that Dean had voiced as a concern to Rachael, wondering if it was normal for people with cancer. Her heart broke as she thought of Dean, the big brother who hadn't once left his brother's side since Sam had been admitted in the hospital. He slept on the small sofa in Sam's room and only left for the motel to freshen up and bathe. He'd make it back to the hospital in less than 30 minutes, not wanting to spend a second away from Sam.

"Stop being a chicken, girl. You have to tell them," Rachael told herself. She took a deep breath as she exited the office. She just prayed they wouldn't kill her for this.

* * *

"Hey dad?" Dean called out to his father who was nodding off on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs outside Sam's room. Sam had fallen asleep and with nothing else to occupy him, the guilt had crept up on Dean. He had seen the pain in his father's features, heard the anguish in his voice. He knew his father _did_ care for them. Hesitating slightly, Dean lay a gentle had on his father's shoulder.

John jumped as though someone had electrified him as he felt someone touch his shoulder.

Dean held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Whoa, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," he said.

"I don't get scared," John muttered as he sat up properly. Dean smirked knowing his father was just trying to lighten the moment.

"You need anything son? Something wrong with Sammy?" John asked, seeing the hesitancy in his son.

Dean shook his head as he sat down next to his dad. "No. I'm fine. Sam is far from fine, but I know he can fight this. We hunt monsters, so cancer's nothing compared to that," Dean said half-heartedly, knowing full well how unpredictable cancer could be. John smiled sadly.

"Anyway, I'm sorry I blew up at you. I know you care. It's just…you decided to get pissed off at the worst time and…" Dean huffed out a breath. He hated talking about his feelings and such but he figured he owed his dad an apology.

"I know. I decided a crappy time to get angry at you boys. It's just, it's hard knowing that your mother's killer is still roaming free out there; probably destroying other lives. I have to find who or what did this Dean. But that doesn't mean I won't be there for my sons. It's just takes my head longer to realize I guess," John said, chuckling wryly.

Dean smirked, happy to be on par with his father. He still didn't trust him after what he did, but he decided his dad deserved another chance. John was right in a way. He may get majorly pissed off, but he always realized his mistake, if any, and made it up to his sons in the end. "Thanks Dad. Don't…don't leave please? At least until Sam is better. I can't handle this alone," Dean said, not meeting his father's eyes.

John felt his heart break as he saw the clear fear and pain in his oldest eyes. He turned Dean's face towards his own and looked into those sparkling green eyes, so very similar to Mary's. "I promise son. I won't leave. You need me, Sam needs me," he said simply.

Dean smiled as he silently thanked his father before walking back into Sam's room. He sighed seeing his weakened brother. The pain in his knee had intensified and he could barely move it. The swelling seemed to have grown ever so slightly. Sam hadn't eaten much, saying he felt nauseous or he wasn't hungry.

"Oh Sammy," Dean whispered as he occupied his usual seat next to Sam's bed. The kid was fast asleep, the meds working on lulling him into dreamland.

Dean looked up as he heard a knock on the open door. He smiled seeing Bobby. Bobby could have easily walked right in, but he respected the older brother's privacy knowing how clingy and protective the boy could get when Sam was hurt or in the line of danger. "I heard you apologized to the old man?" Bobby smirked. He'd apologized himself a few hours after Sam had been admitted. He knew John didn't mean harm on his sons. He could just be a little dull headed sometimes when it came to hunts and leads on the thing that had ripped the family apart.

Dean rolled his eyes in reply and moved his gaze back to his younger sibling, as if he couldn't bear looking away from him for a second. Bobby smiled as he saw Dean run a gentle hand through Sam's hair. Dean was a fierce and determined hunter, but when it came to Sam, he was the kindest and gentlest of people.

Bobby ran a tired hand over his face before walking back out. The Winchesters were family to him so it was as hard on him as it was on them.

"He'll be fine, won't he?" John said so quietly that at first Bobby thought he'd imagined it.

Bobby huffed out a breath before plopping down on the seat next to John. He laid a comforting hand over John's shoulder. "Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that your boy isn't a quitter. He is going to fight this, that much I can assure you. Now stop being such a sour puss ya idjit," Bobby said.

John snorted at Bobby's attempt to lighten the moment. He really felt comforted. Bobby was family. "Thanks Bobby," John said.

"Don't mention it," he replied simply.

* * *

Rachael took a deep breath as she eyed the laughing family from the outside of the room. Sam looked weak and in pain, but he was definitely happy and putting on a brave face. Dean still had worry lines around his eyes and dark circles that instantly indicated that he hadn't slept much, but he was enjoying his time with his brother. John was laughing along with his sons at the joke Bobby had just cracked. He didn't know where this would end up. He didn't want to lose any more of his family but he couldn't think about that now. He knew his son was a fighter and he would fight till his last breath if it came to that. Bobby felt glad to see the Winchesters laugh freely after the tension these last few days. He'd do anything if it meant that these people could live happily again.

Rachael felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes. How could she give them bad news at a time like this when they were trying so hard to keep up good hopes for Sam? She'd promised Dean that she would do all she could to help Sam get rid of the cancer and she was still going to. But this report, these tests...it all pointed to one thing.

Rachael knew that there were a lot of chances that Sam came through this unscathed, but then again, the treatment would be painful and with the new results, the treatment would be vigorous than she'd thought.

She took yet another deep breath before opening the door.

* * *

All four inhabitants of the hospital room looked up as Rachael entered. She looked tired and her hair was slightly haggard as though she had run her hand through it over and over in the past few hours. But she was smiling all the same.

"Hey Sam," she said as she walked over to his bedside. Sam beamed at her despite the aches he could feel all over his body. He trusted her so he knew that she'd do all she could to help him get rid of this illness.

Rachael then moved her gaze over to John and Bobby. She gulped and said a silent prayer in her head before starting. "Okay, first you have no idea how nervous I am just coming here. I got the test results back," she started and didn't miss the way all four of them tensed.

Bobby could see her hesitating and knew that something wasn't right. She seemed wary of disclosing it, as though scared they might snap at her, or that she would worry them further by telling them. Bobby was fairly good at reading people and smiled warmly at her. "Go on. Whatever the case, we trust your judgement," he said.

Rachael smiled in relief as John, Dean and Sam agreed with Bobby. "Okay then," she said. "Well, I got his scans back and am happy to say that the tumour in his knee is operable. We'll be able to remove all of the tumour."

"Now, his brain scans _did _show the presence of mets which points to the reason he had the seizure and further confirming that my theory had been right. A part of the tumour from his leg migrated to his brain. Now, as far as I can gauge by the scans, there is no imminent danger but I want to be extra cautious and will therefore call upon a consult for a neurosurgeon."

Bobby and John nodded gravely while Dean laid a comforting hand on Sam's arm, assuring him silently that everything would be fine.

"Now, onto his blood reports. His white blood cell count is extremely abnormal. I have a few questions before I put forward my thoughts," she requested. All four listeners nodded.

"Okay, was Sam feeling fatigue at all over the last couple of weeks before the seizure? Maybe loss of appetite, sudden headaches or bone pains?" she asked, hoping to God that her theory was wrong.

Dean paled as she voiced her question. Did he miss something? "Um, he's had migraines over the last month. We'd consulted a doctor but he couldn't find the cause for the headaches. Also he would feel tired all of a sudden sometimes and sleep for hours," Dean said, his voice straining slightly with fear.

Rachael felt her stomach drop. She was right. At least 98% right.

"Dr. Myers, what's wrong?" Sam asked, feeling scared himself.

Rachael looked at Sam and took a deep breath. She couldn't afford to break down. Sam was her patient and she was going to do all she could to help him fight this.

"With what you've told me and his blood results, the symptoms point to one thing," she said.

"What?" John asked.

"Leukemia. Blood cancer."

**TBC**

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***Runs and crawls under rock to hide* Review?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Holy crap guys! Y'all are amazing! I'm honestly shocked at the number of follows and reviews and they just keep climbing! Thank you so much :D **

**Thank you to the awesome Chronic Potterphile in agreeing to beta this story! She is a doll, extremely talented and just amazing so check out her stories. Thanks for enduring my endless rants and complaints and being so very supportive. She is the only reason that the medical jargon in this chapter with make sense to any medical fans/junkies out there ;) **

**Sorry for the late update. This is a very hard fic to write, but I'm doing my best for you all :)**

* * *

_Leukemia. Blood Cancer._

These words reverberated around the room as the occupants tried to process what the doctor had just said. Dean and Bobby were sitting on either side of Sam's bed while John stood at the foot of it.

Dean felt his heart flutter as the words reached his ears. He ran a slightly trembling hand through his hair. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sam already had one type of cancer, didn't he? Was it possible to have two cancers at once? No. The doctor was wrong, Sam couldn't have cancer.

Bobby couldn't believe it either. He took off his cap as he stared in shock at the doctor. Sam was just starting to smile again, beginning to accept the fact that he was going to be okay, and now this bomb had dropped. How would the kid take it now?

John almost lost his footing as he stumbled backward. He clutched at the bedrail for support. Why? Why was his family on the verge of tearing apart? Wasn't losing Mary bad enough? And now he would lose Sam too?

Rachael could read each and every emotion in all three of their eyes and she felt her composure waver. She hated giving bad news to families, and they were always families she cared about. As much as she tried, she couldn't help but get attached to the children she treated. She was just like that. Her gaze wandered over to Sam who had a blank look on his face. It terrified her that she couldn't even read him, because if there was one other thing she was good at, it was reading people's emotions — faces. She had a good sense of observation.

"Are you sure?" Bobby asked, finally breaking the unnatural silence upon the room.

"Almost. Since Sam's blood reports are not normal, I'll need to do a bone marrow biopsy," Rachael said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"What's that?" Sam finally asked. True. He had been shocked when he heard it, almost sliding off the bed towards Dean, but he knew that he'd have to accept it. He'd seen the look of fear, of pain and suffering on Dean's face out of the corner of his eye when Rachael had announced the results and her diagnosis. He needed to stay strong. He needed to fight this…for Dean, for his family, for himself. It was scary, yes. It even hurt sometimes, and made him feel weak. But he wasn't just going to give up.

Rachael smiled, seeing the determination in Sam's eyes. She could tell he wanted to fight this. It made her feel proud. She decided that she was going to do all in her power to help the boy.

"A bone marrow biopsy is a test which will let me look at the cells inside your bone marrow," she said, frowning for a second, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"In Leukemia, the cancer attacks your white blood cells or WBCs which form in your bone marrow. Their number is in a specific range and when the cell count goes above or below that, it's a problem. It means that the bone marrow has been attacked, and is producing an excessive number of white cells, which are all abnormal, immature, and not even fit to participate in immunity. They just damage and weaken the body further. So I'll have to confirm the presence of these immature cells, also called blasts. Normally, there's a fixed limit of these in the bone marrow but if the upper limit is exceeded, it points towards leukaemia.

"That's how with the biopsy, I could pin point directly whether or not you have leukemia. If you do, it'll let me find out what type of leukemia it is so that I can then start your course of treatment," Rachael finished.

Sam nodded as he tried to take it all in. He understood very well. He felt like he needed to know what was going on inside him, so he could come to terms with it. Just then, another thought came to him, "Okay. And what about the osteosarcoma? You said you'll be able to remove the tumour with surgery, but the parts of cancer in my brain are still there, right? How will you get rid of those?"

Rachael was impressed that the kid actually remembered the name of the cancer and everything else she'd said to them. It genuinely warmed her that Sam trusted her with his life, and was asking questions, taking initiative in his own treatment.

"Yes," she said," I'll be able to remove the tumour in your leg. Since it's a part of the bone, they'll be removing the infected part along with some neighbouring empty tissue, and replacing it with a bone graft or a special metal rod.

"Now this graft or rod will lengthen as you grow, but once you're an adult, you'll have to have another surgery to get it replaced with a better, stronger one. And since it's a bone surgery, an orthopaedic surgeon will be operating on you. You then will need to have chemotherapy to eliminate any other cancer cells in your body. As for the mets in your brain, you will need radiation to eliminate them," Rachael answered.

Sam nodded all through the explanation. Something was still eating at him though. "The seizure? If I have parts of the cancer in my brain and a seizure brought me here, why am I not getting any more?" he asked. Knowing that he'd had a seizure had frightened him enough, but it didn't sit right with him that he hadn't had even one since he'd got here.

Rachael sighed. This kid was smart. " We've been giving you anticonvulsants through your IV so that the seizures don't occur. It's safer," she said.

Bobby's attention perked up more as he heard the mention of anticonvulsants. He now understood the signs that Sam had been showing, though hardly noticable to a person who didn't know the Winchesters. One of his hunter friends had gotten pretty banged up once and had started seizing. During his treatment the hunter had received anti-convulsants so Bobby knew most of what could happen. Though Sam may not have paid much attention to it yet, Bobby could tell that Sam was slightly drowsy and light headed and by the look of Dean's face, Bobby knew that Dean was aware of it too.

Sam listened attentively to Rachael. The part about the bone graft scared him, but he knew that if he wanted to beat this, he needed to accept the changes. And the chemotherapy and radiation didn't sound so bad. "Okay," he managed. "Will it hurt?" he asked again in a small voice. He felt ashamed to be asking such a thing considering the lives they led. But this wasn't an injury from a hunt. This was cancer.

Rachael felt her heart break. Sam didn't deserve any of this crap. She ran a light hand through her hair as she answered, "I'm not going to lie. The treatment for cancer is aggressive. As effective as the drugs are, being cytotoxic , it kind of acts like a poison at the same time. You'll feel a few side effects to the drugs. The most common is nausea and vomiting. You'll be given anti-emetics for those to curb the nausea but it's normal to vomit and feel worse the first couple of days. You'll get used to the anti-emetics and soon, the vomiting should stop. You'll still be taking them though to stop it from coming back during the course of your treatment.

"There is also the hair loss. The chemotherapy drugs and radiation usually make the hair fall out. It's not permanent though. Once you start to recover and lay off the chemo drugs, then your hair starts growing back. Apart from that you'll feel tired and drowsy because of the continuous administration of medication. Some days you may not feel hungry, some days you'll feel feverish as your immune system will be weakened."

Seeing Sam's face fall and pale at the revelation, Rachael couldn't take it. She moved closer to Sam's bed and looked him in the eye and smiled. "Look, honey, I know you're scared and it's totally okay to be afraid. But trust me when I say, everyone here is going to be by your side every step of the way, including me."

"She's right, Sammy. All of us are going to be here for you, so you have nothing to be afraid about," Dean added, smiling at his baby brother. "Plus, you don't have to worry about your hair. You'll look awesome bald and you can even wear a cap like Bobby if you want to," Dean added as an afterthought, trying to cheer his brother up. He'd seen Sam's broken expression as Rachael had gone through the adverse effects and knew that losing his hair would hit his baby brother hard. Sam chuckled at Dean's attempt to cheer him up and smiled. Dean grinned back and inwardly took a deep breath. After all that Rachael had said, the way she treated Sam and talked to him, Dean finally felt…hopeful. He somehow knew that this doctor would do anything and everything to help Sam battle this.

Rachael smiled as she got up. "Okay, so I'll let you know when your surgery is finalized. In the meantime, I'd like to discuss your treatment plans with your father and uncle, okay, sweetie?"

Sam nodded, tears in his eyes. Everyone was there for him. He wasn't alone in this, like he'd felt before. "Thank you," he whispered, earning a warm smile and nod from Rachael before the left the room.

* * *

John slumped down onto one of the chairs outside Sam's room as Dr. Myers walked away after discussing Sam's treatment schedule. He felt exhausted. Rubbing a hand over his face, he sighed. It was ironic how his family was the one that always suffered, whether it was a supernatural case, or an illness that threatened to kill his son each minute.

"Jesus, Bobby," John muttered as he jumped violently as Bobby laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," Bobby muttered. He couldn't see his family in pain like this. Yes, family. The Winchesters had made a place in his heart that no one else had. "It'll be fine John. You'll see. Sam's a helluva fighter. He's got the stamina, the power, the heart to beat this. You know he does," Bobby comforted as he sat next to John.

John nodded. It made him feel safe to have Bobby on his side, especially for a situation like this. "Thanks," he muttered, not used to the emotional talks. Bobby shrugged.

"I'm going to get a coffee, you want anything?" John asked as he got up. Bobby denied and watched the other man walk away toward the main reception area where the coffee machines stood. Hospital coffee never tasted good, but people rarely drank it for its taste. People drank it as a distraction, as an attempt to stay alert and watch over their families, their loved ones who were ill or on their death bed.

"Don't you dare tear this family apart anymore," Bobby whispered in a combination of prayer and threat. The Winchesters had been through enough. They didn't need more pain on their hearts.

* * *

After finishing her rounds at the hospital, Rachael welcomed her break time. Sure, sometimes even break time was abandoned when her patients were on the edge of life and death, but for once, everything was going smooth. She hastily retreated to her office and deposited all the case files she'd been carrying around.

Out of all the cases, the one that worried her most was Sam's situation. Teenagers getting cancer was rare, but _two_ types of them? An **extremely** rare situation. Then there was the fact that his past history had nothing to indicate the cause for the cancer. But then again, more than half the cases were like that. Cancer was like that. An unpredictable, painful, life altering, family breaking illness that was plaguing the world like a swarm of locusts.

She rubbed a tired hand over her face as she sat down on her desk chair. She remembered her sister's journey through the cancer battle all too well.

**(FLASHBACK) **

_Nineteen-year-old Rachael sighed as she sat next to her sister's bed. Sixteen-year-old April hadn't woken up for quite a while now. Ever since she and her mother had found out that April was suffering from Leukemia, things had gone out of control. Their father, well…'father' didn't seem like a deserving title in Rachael's eyes. He drank all day and yelled at and abused them by night. He was now on the run from the police after being a prime suspect in the murder of some bartender. Rachael was more than glad to see her father disappear. _

_Even though she hated it, her dad was the one source of income they had. Sure, he was a drunk and he didn't care about his family but on the rare days that he decided to drink a little less and go to work, he'd earn enough to keep them going a while. And her mother, she did all she could to make ends meet. Being a waitress and singer in a small bar didn't get you much, but it's all she could do to keep her broken family stable. _

_Rachael had argued with her mother countless of times about quitting her education and helping out with the household chores, and maybe finding a small job to lift the burden off her mother, but her mother wouldn't hear of it._

_The elder sister sighed as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. It had been two years since her sister had gotten cancer. Some days were good, some were downright horrible. And more than two times now, Rachael had seen her little sister almost die. She was barely keeping it togetherbut she knew she had to. Her little sister needed her. April was all she had apart from their loving mother. _

"_I promise you'll fight this April. You have to fight this. I can't lose you," Rachael whispered as she held onto her sister's hand. _

"_I __**won't**__ lose you." _

**(END FLASHBACK)**

* * *

Bobby paced worriedly outside Sam's room. Dean had drifted off to sleep by his brother's bed. Sam had soon been lulled into dreamland as well when the nurse came in to give him his meds. It had been thirty minutes since John had gone to get coffee. He should have been back by now. Bobby had even gone and checked the coffee machine area but didn't spot John anywhere.

"Something wrong, Bobby?" Dean asked, walking out of the room after checking to see that Sam was peacefully under. Bobby jumped at the unexpected voice behind him and calmed himself down seeing Dean. Already jumpy and on edge from John's disappearance, he cursed under his breath.

"Nothing, just looking for your dad," Bobby replied offhandedly, not wanting to worry the boy. He knew that Dean had made peace with his father just recently, and he didn't want to spoil that. John's heart was in a good place. He cared for his boys, but sometimes, he could get really one-track minded and screw up everything.

Dean frowned. "Did he say if he was going somewhere?"

Bobby shook his head in denial. Just then, a nurse walked over and handed over a piece of paper to Dean. "A John Winchester told me to give this to you," she said. After handing over the note, she walked away to resume her duties.

Dean's face turned from a look of confusion to a look of rage and pain. "HE PROMISED! HE FRIGGIN' PROMISED!" Dean yelled before storming off towards the exit.

Bobby stared in shock after the older Winchester and picked up the piece of paper that Dean had balled up and thrown to the ground. It read –

**I'm sorry, Dean, but something has come up.**

**Bobby, I know you'll hate me for this, but if I don't go I'll lose everything. You have to trust me on this.**

**I know this is a bad time, but I can't ignore this.**

**I'm sorry.**

**J. W.**

"Damn it, John," Bobby cursed. He couldn't pin-point it, but he felt like something wasn't right here. He ignored it because the way he saw it, John had chosen work over family...again.

Dean ran towards the exit, needing air. I'm sorry, Dean, but something has come up...I know this is a bad time, but I can't ignore this. The words in the note kept floating around in his mind. How could his father do that? How could he run off when he promised he'd be there for him and Sam? Why would he do that?

Dean exited the hospital and took a deep breath, scanning the parking lot as he did so. Just as he expected, his father's jeep was gone. His Dad had let him down again. The man Dean looked up to had broken his trust.

"Why, Dad? Why?" Dean whispered as silent tears streamed down his face.

**TBC**

* * *

***hands over box of tissues*  
**

**I made myself sad by the end. Sorry. I'll try and update soon :)**


End file.
